


Story Behind the Snapshots

by Hepburn_Junkie22



Series: Snapshots of Another Life [2]
Category: Major Crimes (TV), The Closer
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-12
Updated: 2018-07-12
Packaged: 2019-06-09 04:40:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15259659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hepburn_Junkie22/pseuds/Hepburn_Junkie22
Summary: This is a continuation of another story of mine, 'Snapshots of Another Life.'  This will be at least three chapters and will chronicle Sharon and Brenda's time in Monterey.





	Story Behind the Snapshots

**Author's Note:**

> All the characters and their respective shows are not mine; I'm only playing around; reviews are love <3

_Six Years Earlier:_

           If you had told Sharon Raydor several years ago, that she would be standing in the living room of one blonde deputy chief she would have balked at your insistence.  If you had told her that the woman in question was her professional rival turned lover…well she would have questioned your sobriety.  Yet despite it all, here she was, taking in the surroundings of Brenda’s home.  This was the first time the brunette had seen it.

           She had never set foot in the house before now because for so long the blonde had been something unattainable…she was married after all.  Sharon had come to terms with her attraction to the younger woman a long time ago. She became content with the budding friendship that they were trying to grow and nurture.  

           Their relationship hadn’t necessarily grown the way it should have.  One long night in the murder room and rising tensions had led to not only one of the most passionate nights of Sharon’s life, but also one of the most awkward weeks following.  

           She had always insisted that she would never do to another soul what Jack had done to her.  She knew exactly what it felt like to be the person in a love triangle that was totally clueless; she knew the pain of being cheated on.  So she had avoided Brenda after that night, studiously taking the stairs instead of the elevator and bringing coffee to work with her so she wouldn’t have to risk a run to the break room.

           Although eventually Brenda had caught on, and if Sharon thought herself stubborn, well she was no match for the Chief.  The younger woman confronted her in her office one day, and when the Captain had told her it was the time or the place, Brenda had chuckled.  

 

 

* * *

 

        

_“If you weren’t screenin’ my calls,” she replied knowingly, “than I wouldn’t have had to corner you at work.”_

_The accusation hung heavily in the air, the sparks of electricity crackling between the women.  Sharon’s eyes narrowed from behind her desk as she straightened her shoulders._

_“What do you want me to say, Brenda Leigh?” she questioned, “What we did was wrong.”_

_When the younger woman continued to look at her, eyes big and round behind the lenses of her glasses, Sharon kept going._

_“I’ve been the person cheated on, and the pain is immeasurable,” she sighed, “This was a mistake.”_

_The Chief hummed quietly in a way eerily similar to the Captain herself.  She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at Sharon, her gaze penetrating and steely.  Then in an abrupt move, she swung around and reached for the door handle, slipping through the small opening before Sharon could continue._

     After that encounter, surprisingly enough Brenda had let the situation go.  She didn’t try to call or text Sharon anymore, unless it was related to a case. She only used ranks and was never alone with the older woman if she could help it; Sharon began to feel the loss of her immensely.  She missed the smiles the blonde would send her way, she was even beginning to miss the cheeky and sarcastic comments Brenda would say to her under her breath.  She didn’t even bring Sharon reports anymore, that task had been delegated to Lieutenant Flynn.

 Then a few weeks after the whole ‘incident’ as Sharon referred to it, she heard a scuttlebutt while walking the halls of Parker Center.  A little rumor about the Southern deputy chief, one that made Sharon pause mid-stride. If the rumors were true, than it seems Agent Howard had finally had enough, and served Brenda divorce papers. Sharon mulled this tidbit of information over for the rest of the day, receiving even more parts to the story as she skulked around, being ignored did have its advantages.

           Driving back home that night, Sharon couldn’t help but try to decipher and piece together what she had heard.  Surly it wasn’t true, Brenda and Fritz didn’t have the easiest of marriages, from what she could see, but it was stable.  She then began to wonder if the blonde in question had told her husband what had happened, what they had done?  The Captain cringed t the thought; she couldn’t what her interactions with the FBI liaison would be like now.

           Sharon expected to here form Brenda within the week, coming to her asking for forgiveness and needing proverbial shoulder to cry on.  Then one week turned into two, and then two into three, and before the brunette knew it, a month had gone by.  It was strange to say the least, she began to worry that maybe Brenda hadn’t wanted her to know.

           Then she got a call one morning, early morning, from Lieutenant Provenza.  He was requesting her presence downtown; a perp had reacted badly to being questioned and one of their own was injured.  She responded in the affirmative and dressed quickly, at this hour she could be there in fifteen minutes.  

_She quietly padded into the Murder Room, glancing around quickly to asses the scene.  She could see the evidence bags littering one desk and take out containers piled high on another.  The pictures secured to the whiteboard were gruesome, highlighted by the red pen that had painstakingly written information next to each one._

_The faces looking back at her, the officers of Major Crimes, were drawn and tired, but they all seemed intact.  She locked eyes with Provenza, tilting her head with an unasked question._

_“Lieutenant,” she acknowledged quietly._

_“In there, Captain,” Provenza inclined his head to the Chief’s office, rubbing the back of his neck as he did so._

_She tried to swallow that formed in throat as she realized what he meant.  Brenda had been the one who was injured.  Sharon nodded slowly as she walked past the row of desks, rounding to face the door. She raised her hand and knocked on the door tentatively, realizing the blinds were closed tight._

_“Come in,” a faint voice sounded from inside._

_Sharon pushed turned the knob and let the door swing inward.  Brenda was seated behind her desk; the back of her chair faced the door, staring out the window.  The Captain entered and closed the door softly, the click of the mechanism sounding loud in her ears.  She approached the blonde with trepidation, not wanting to be thrown out before she got a chance to take her statement._

_“Chief,” she began softly, “Brenda, can I take your statement please?”_

_She could see the chair tilt slightly as Brenda looked over her should, in surprise of annoyance Sharon wasn’t sure.  There was a soft sigh before the chair began to turn fully, coming to rest at a stop so that Brenda came face to face with Sharon in the first time in months.  Sharon couldn’t help the gasp that escaped her lips._

_Brenda’s lips curved up at the end slipped upwards slightly.  The skin pulling tightly and Sharon knew it must be painful.  The blonde had a cut above her left eye that had been closed with sutures and a butterfly bandage placed over it just in case.  Her left cheekbone sported a dark purple bruise that only seemed to be getting worse the longer Sharon stared at it.  As the older woman’s eyes trailed down the lean form of her Chief, she noticed the dark bruising on her upper arm, showcased by the short sleeves of the other woman’s pale pink blouse.  The Captain could feel her blood boil._

_Brenda’s voice was soft, “It looks worse than it is, I can assure you Captain.”_

_Sharon’s eyes snapped up to meet the blonde’s. The brown orbs looked tired and dull, as if she hadn’t been sleeping well. The dark circles the captain could see on the younger woman’s face, she knew, had nothing to do with the attack. It was then that Sharon made a decision, although she wouldn’t know until latter it was one of the best in her life._

_She cautiously circled the desk, resting her hip on the corner, arms held tight to her chest.  She was too tempted to hold Brenda, to stroke the curls that come loose from the low ponytail.  The dark eyes of the Chief looked back at her, waiting for her to say something, do something._

_“I’m sorry, Brenda Leigh,” the brunette declared, her voice aching, “I’m so sorry.”_

_Brenda visibly sat back in her chair, trying to distance herself, from Sharon herself or the situation she wasn’t sure._

_“Its not your…” the blonde began, before the older woman cut her off.”_

_“Not for the attack,” she confided, brushing her hand gingerly across the bruised cheek, “but for being a horrible friend in the last few months.”_

_There it was, an olive branch of sorts that Brenda would either take or ignore.  Sharon hoped she would take it, she hadn’t realized until she'd seen the younger woman how desperately she had missed her.  The Chief gazed at Sharon, seemingly trying to decide if the apology in Sharon’s words was genuine, to see if she truly was as sorry as she had said._

_The older woman could see the instant that Brenda had made up her mind and the tears began to fall.  The walls seemed to crumble and the younger woman shot out of her seat and into the arms of Sharon.  The relief palpable, they reveled in the strength they seemed to reap from each other, and held on tightly._

 

* * *

 

 

           Sharon shook her head slightly as she was brought back to the present.  There was so much hurt and emotional baggage they had to shift through, so many things that needed to be said before they could move on.  It had taken another few months for them to get back to where they were and to travel past that barrier.  This weekend was their first trip as a couple.

           When Brenda had told Sharon in passing that she had never been up the coast, had never seen the sleepy town of Carmel, or the aquarium in Monterey, the older woman had made a decision.  She booked the necessary hotels, called ahead for the restaurant reservations, and purchased the tickets for the aquarium.  It wasn't hard to do considering January wasn't really the busy season the coast normally saw, however it was the brunette's fate time to visit the sleepy ocean town.  She wanted to share the love for one of her favorites places and perhaps let the blonde create some memories of her own, ones they could share with one another at a time farther down the road.

           They were supposed to leave by eight, and as Sharon looked at her watch they were now approaching eight-thirty.  She called down the hall, hoping Brenda was almost finished packing.  

           “Brenda,” she warned playfully, “I’m going to leave without you!”

           It was all in jest…partly.  Her Chief had been called in late last night to interrogate a suspect, and effectively close the case, which left her with no time to pack.

           Brenda’s voice floated down the hall, “I’m comin’!”

          The Captain picked at her nails as she waited, coming to the conclusion that she would need to make an appointment for after their trip.  A slender arm wrapped around Sharon’s waist as she turned to face the couch, a small smile lighting her features.  She grasped the hand and raised it to her lips, kissing the knuckles softly.  Brenda’s smile appeared suddenly, the dimples in her cheeks deep, something Sharon adored.

           Sharon tugged on her hand, “We should have left already.”

           “Well what are we waitin’ for?” the younger woman questioned, playfully kissing Sharon’s cheek as she passed, overnight bag in hand.  

           She looked over her shoulder and winked as she slipped through the door, blonde curls bouncing slightly, leaving the brunette grinning in her wake.


End file.
